Sample Environment Systems for High Pressure and Mechanical Processing (PREMP)
A large synthetic diamond set in a diamond anvil cell, developed by ESS in collaboration withOak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Edinburgh
Many scientific disciplines, such as materials science, engineering science, fundamental physics and chemistry and geo/planetary science, require the application of very high and uniform pressure on the sample during the neutron-scattering experiment.
The PREMP platform will support high-pressure neutron science from 0.1 to 100 GPa. More broadly, the response of materials to strain and manipulations, such as welding, are supported through dedicated sample-environment equipment.
ESS will deliver some of the brightest neutron beams in history. These will create many new opportunities for materials research where the sample size is tightly constrained. The PREMP platform supports both high pressure and engineering science.
Extremes of Pressure and Temperature
High pressure has broad applications spanning materials science, fundamental physics and chemistry and geo/planetary-science. Our approach is to enable high-pressure experiments on as many of the ESS instruments as possible, supporting traditional diffraction and spectroscopic measurements while exploring new possibilities in small-angle scattering and imaging. Combining the pressure parameter with extreme temperatures (both extremely low and extremely high) are also key technical targets.
In order to achieve this, the PREMP platform aims to support a range of hardware from 'classic' gas and clamp cells through to new classes of diamond anvil cells capable of exceeding 100 GPa.
Mechanical Processing
The ESS will also enable new possibilities in the studies of mechanical and materials properties. These are supported by the PREMP platform, through the provision of specialised sample environment equipment to study response to mechanical stress and processes such as welding.
